Marty Supreme is a 2025 American sports comedy‑drama from A24 that drops you into the sweaty, neon‑lit world of 1950s underground ping‑pong and never lets up. Directed by Josh Safdie and led by a ferociously charismatic Timothée Chalamet, it’s being hailed as a “fresh, funny and exhilarating” pressure‑cooker character study that’s equal parts fun and stressful, powered by Safdie’s chaotic style and Chalamet’s most electric performance yet.
Director, Writers & Cast
Marty Supreme is produced and directed by Josh Safdie, who co‑writes the screenplay with long‑time collaborator Ronald Bronstein, loosely inspired by real‑life American table‑tennis hustler Marty Reisman. The film follows Marty Mauser, an up‑and‑coming ping‑pong prodigy in 1950s New York, who’s convinced he’s destined to be “the best in the world” and will lie, hustle and gamble his way through shoe stores, smoky clubs and international tournaments to prove it.
Timothée Chalamet stars as Marty Mauser, with Gwyneth Paltrow as Kay Stone, a wealthy, retired actress and socialite who becomes both patron and temptation, and Odessa A’zion as Rachel Mizler, Marty’s lifelong friend stuck in a dead‑end marriage but addicted to his chaos. The supporting cast includes Kevin O’Leary as businessman Milton Rockwell, Tyler Okonma (Tyler, The Creator) as Wally the taxi‑driver, Abel Ferrara as small‑time criminal Ezra Mishkin, and Fran Drescher as Marty’s mother Rebecca, adding to a gallery of off‑beat, lived‑in New York characters.
Box Office & Budget
Marty Supreme carries an estimated production budget of around $70 million, making it one of A24’s most expensive and ambitious projects to date. Long‑range forecasts suggest a modest but healthy domestic opening in the $7–12 million range over Christmas weekend, positioning it as counter‑programming to mega‑blockbusters like Avatar: Fire and Ash.
Analysts expect the film to build via word‑of‑mouth and awards buzz rather than front‑loaded numbers, with comparisons to Chalamet’s previous Christmas release A Complete Unknown, which legged out nicely after a similar mid‑teens debut. Early international rollout (including festival and limited European runs) has started to add to its global tally, but the main worldwide box‑office picture will only become clear after its December 25 North American launch.
Reviews & Ratings
Early critical reception is strong: first‑wave reviews highlight Safdie’s “kaleidoscopic, kinetic and madly idiosyncratic” direction and call Chalamet’s turn “the best performance of his career,” even as they warn that the film’s relentless energy can be exhausting. Rotten Tomatoes’ initial scores sit in the fresh zone, with critics praising the film’s craft and intensity even when they’re divided on Marty as a character, and user ratings hovering around the 3.5–4 out of 5 mark.
IGN describes it as “equal parts fun and stressful,” saying Safdie’s chaotic camera and editing style mesh perfectly with Chalamet’s jittery charisma to create a sports‑caper that feels like a spiritual cousin to Uncut Gems, just set in the world of ping‑pong instead of diamonds and bookies. The AV Club calls it a “reckless, riveting character piece” where the miracle is that, despite Marty being brazen, indecent and often dishonest, you still find yourself sucked into his delusional grindset and occasionally rooting for him.
What Makes Marty Supreme Work
At its core, Marty Supreme is less about table tennis and more about a certain kind of American hustle mentality: a guy who believes he’s exceptional, that the rules don’t apply to him, and that one more scheme will finally make everything click. Safdie and Bronstein treat Marty’s journey almost like an origin story for toxic bravado, following him from cramped shoe stores and back‑room matches to London and Tokyo tournaments where his ego finally collides with reality.
Chalamet plays Marty as a charming whirlwind—immature, self‑centred and frequently awful, but so quick‑witted and magnetic that you understand why people keep giving him one more chance. Gwyneth Paltrow brings surprising melancholy to Kay, a woman who has everything money can buy but is quietly suffocating, while Odessa A’zion’s Rachel matches Marty beat for beat, often out‑scheming him and grounding the story in messy, real‑world consequences.
Where to Watch Marty Supreme
Marty Supreme is being released in theaters by A24 on December 25, 2025, with a wide U.S. rollout and staggered international dates through early 2026. It is designed as a big‑screen experience, with Safdie’s restless camerawork and densely layered sound design playing best in cinemas, especially in premium and arthouse venues that favour A24 titles.
After its theatrical window, JustWatch and Apple’s listing indicate that Marty Supreme will head to major digital platforms, with early international metadata already flagging availability on services like Netflix and Prime Video in select regions following the cinema run. For now, though, if you want the full sweaty‑palmed, edge‑of‑your‑seat ping‑pong chaos, the recommendation from both critics and fans is clear: catch Marty Supreme in theaters first, then rewatch at home once it hits streaming.
